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January 18, 2021: National / International Current Affairs

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1. Exports increase 9.7 per cent to Rs1.97 trillion in first half 2021

• The exports from Pakistan in rupee increased by 9.7 per cent during the first half (H1) of the current fiscal year as compared to the corresponding period of last year, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported.
• The exports during July-December (2020-21) were recorded at Rs1,978,764 million as against Rs1,803,776 million during July- December (2019-20), showing an increase of 9.7 per cent, according to provisional data of PBs. On a year-on-year basis, the exports from Pakistan during December 2020 amounted to Rs378,792 million as against Rs308,032 during December 2019, showing the growth of 22.97 per cent

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2. China remains top importer, traded products over $4,523m

• China topped the list of countries from where Pakistan imported different products during the first five months of the current fiscal year (2020-21), followed by United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore.
• The total imports from China during July-November (2020-21) were recorded at $4523.671 million against the $4025.183 million during July-November (2019-20), showing an increase of 12.38 per cent during the period, according to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). This was followed by UAE, where Pakistan imported goods worth $2709.681 million against the imports of $3070.454 million last year, showing negative growth of 11.74 per cent.

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3. PNS NASR sails for humanitarian aid to African states

• Pakistan Navy Ship NASR has sailed on the mission of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, to African countries.
• The mission is tailored to assist vulnerable population affected by natural disasters.
• The ship is carrying food aid for the affectees in flood-stricken and drought-ridden African countries. The PN officials said during the deployment, PNS NASR will provide assistance at Djibouti, Sudan and Niger

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4. Pfizer reassures Europe over vaccine

• Pharma giant Pfizer tried to ease concerns in Europe about deliveries of its coronavirus vaccine as nations across the world doubled down on restrictions to fight the rampaging pandemic.
• The coronavirus pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down, with infections surging past 94 million and more than two million deaths, and Europe among the hardest-hit parts of the world. Worries have grown that delays in the delivery of Pfizer-BioNTech shots could hamper a European vaccine rollout which has already faced heavy criticism across the continent

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5. Two Afghan women judges assassinated in Kabul ambush

• Gunmen shot dead two Afghan women judges working for the Supreme Court in an ambush in the country`s capital on January 17, 2021, officials said, an attack the top US envoy in Kabul blamed on the Taliban.
• Violence has surged across Afghanistan in recent months despite ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and government especially in Kabul, where a new trend of targeted killings aimed at high-profile figures has sown fear in the restive city

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6. Trump signs Malala Yousafzai Scholarship into law

• The Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Bill was signed into law by United States President Donald Trump earlier this week.
• According to a bill announcement issued by the White House, the US president signed off on the Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act on January 13. Under the Act, US Agency of International Development (USAID) will be awarding at 50% of the merit and needs-based scholarship programmes across a wide range of academic disciplines to Pakistani women who meet the existing eligibility criteria

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7. High alert as Biden to sign executive orders on Day 1

• Joe Biden’s top aide said January 16, 2021 the incoming president would sign about a dozen executive orders on his first day in office, as police fearing violence from Trump supporters staged a nationwide security operation ahead of the inauguration.
• Authorities in Washington, where Wednesday’s inauguration will take place, said they arrested a man with a loaded handgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition at a security checkpoint, underscoring the tension in the US capital which is resembling a war zone

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8. Israel approves illegal settler homes in WB

• Israel on January 17, 2021 advanced plans for 780 new illegal settler homes in the occupied West Bank, settlement watchdog Peace Now said, adding the move puts Israel “on a collision course” with the incoming US administration

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9. Shoaib Malik to lead Maratha Arabians in Abu Dhabi T10

• Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik is set to feature in the second season of the Abu Dhabi T10 Tournament as the captain and Icon Player for the defending champions Maratha Arabians.
• The Abu Dhabi T10 will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi from January 28 to February 6

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10. Music producer Phil Spector, convicted of murder, dies

• Rock producer Phil Spector, who changed the sound of pop music in the 1960s with his Wall of Sound recordings and was convicted of the 2003 murder of a Hollywood actress, died of Covid-19 on January 16, 2021. He was 81.
• Spector produced 20 top-40 hits between 1961 and 1965 and went on to work with the Beatles on Let /t Be, as well as Leonard Cohen, the Righteous Brothers and Ike and Tina Turner

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January 2021:
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